Open wireless architecture (owa) mobile cloud infrastructure and method

ABSTRACT

A future mobile terminal converging multiple wireless transmission technologies by utilizing a cost-effective and spectrum-efficient mobile cloud solution by introducing the Virtual Mobile Server (VMS) and Virtual Register and Call Switch (VR/CS) systems and methods based on the innovative open wireless architecture (OWA) technology platform.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/313,766, filed Dec. 7, 2011, and entitled “OPEN WIRELESS ARCHITECTURE(OWA) MOBILE CLOUD INFRASTRUCTURE AND METHOD”, which is herebyincorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

This invention relates to developing the next generation mobile wirelesscommunications in simplifying the mobile terminal system convergingmultiple wireless transmission standards by constructing the mobilecloud server-client architecture based on the open wireless architecture(OWA) technology platform. The invention discloses cost-effective andspectrum-efficient mobile cloud solutions by introducing the VirtualMobile Server and Virtual Register and Call Switch (VR/CS) systems andmethods associated with the OWA mobile terminal(s).

Description of the Related Art

Wireless communications comprises a wide range of technologies, servicesand applications that have come into existence to meet the particularneeds of different market sectors and user environments. Differentsystems can be broadly characterized by:

-   -   content and services offered;    -   frequency bands of operation;    -   standards defining the systems;    -   data rates supported;    -   bidirectional and unidirectional delivery mechanisms;    -   degree of mobility;    -   regulatory requirements; and    -   cost.

The service requirements for telecommunications remain the followingcharacteristics:

-   -   Speech and SMS (Short Message System):    -   This service type requires a peak bit rates up to 16 kbps. In        the year 2010 onwards, there will still remain needs for these        very low data rate applications of speech and simple message        service. In addition to that, some applications in the field of        sensor communication and/or low bit rate data telemetry would        also be expected for the category, as ubiquitous communications.        Most of mobile e-commerce applications would also be categorized        in this type.    -   Multimedia and low rate data:    -   This service type at a data rate of less than 144 kbps should        also be considered, taking into account the compatibility with        3G and 2G data communication applications.    -   Medium multimedia:    -   This type support a peak bit rate of up to 2 Mbps. This type        would be required to sustain the compatibility with the 3G        applications.    -   High multimedia:    -   This type should be considered in order to accommodate high data        rate applications, including multi-media video streaming        services, which are provided with broadband service in fixed        wired communication systems or with broadband wireless access        systems.    -   Super high multimedia:

This type should also be considered in order to accommodate super highdata rates multi-media applications, which are currently provided withFibre-to-the-Home (FTTH) services in case of wired communicationsystems. Currently, these services require different communicationdevices with different connection facilities that the users needfrequent switch between various terminals at home, office and in otherenvironments.

A service usage pattern may be categorized according to an area whereusers exploit similar services and expect similar quality of service:

-   -   Home    -   Office    -   Public area    -   Wide area

In many countries, wireline Internet access in Home, Office and PublicArea becomes very popular and affordable. Meanwhile, WLAN (wirelesslocal area network) access is evolving rapidly in these domains.

Mobile communications have evolved rapidly on the worldwide basis. Butwhen we look back at the wireless mobile communication history, twomajor issues remain unsolved:

-   -   1. The mobile wireless terminal architecture is too closed.    -   2. The mobile wireless terminal system is too complicated.    -   3. The mobile wireless services are too carrier-centric, not        user-centric.

The wireless transmission theory of our research tells us that no singlewireless transmission technology can provide both broadband high-speedradio transmission and seamless fast mobility capability in a mobilefast-fading propagation model environment unless we reduce the mobilenetwork capacity tremendously—referred to as LU's Laws in the industry.

Our research shows that when the transmission bandwidth is enough, theinformation processing consumes much more resources and energies thanthe transmission processing.

In order to solve the above two problems in mobile communications, letus analyze the current situations first.

In many countries, wireline Internet access in home, office and publicarea becomes very popular and affordable. Meanwhile, WLAN (wirelesslocal area network) access is evolving rapidly in these domains.

Second generation (2G) wireless mobile systems were mainly designed forapplications such as voice. Third generation (3G) and especially, fourthgeneration (4G) mobile system will increasingly be designed ascombination of different access technologies to complement each other inan optimum way for different service requirements and radio environmentsin order to provide a common and flexible service platform for differentservices and applications.

Access to a service or an application may be performed using one systemor may be performed using multiple systems simultaneously oralternatively. Specifically, as will be described within the context ofthe present invention and has not been addressed in the art, suchimproved technology could include an integrated and convergedcommunication system which will combine the wireless mobilecommunication, wireline communication, wireless local area network,broadband wireless access system and Internet into one common platformso that the single Mobile Terminal can operate as a home phone, officephone, mobile phone and open terminal with single user number, which isthe unique identifier of this integrated mobile communication terminal.

In future, operators may deploy a mix of technologies that could, atvarious stages in time and subject to market and regulatoryconsiderations, incorporate cellular, WLAN (wireless local areanetwork), WMAN (wireless metropolitan area networks) or called BWA(broadband wireless access), WPAN (wireless personal access network),digital broadcast, satellite and other access systems as discussed bythe present invention. This will require the seamless interaction ofthese systems in order for the user to be able to receive a variety ofcontent via a variety of delivery mechanisms depending upon theparticular terminal capabilities, location and user profile.

Different radio access systems will be connected via the open andflexible core networks. In this way, an individual user can be connectedvia a variety of different access systems to the networks and serviceshe desires. The integration and convergence between these differentaccess systems in terms of horizontal and vertical handover and seamlessservice provision with service negotiation including mobility, securityand service quality management will be a key requirement.

Due to the different application areas, cell ranges and radioenvironments, the different access systems can be organized in a layeredstructure similar to hierarchical cell structures in cellular mobileradio systems. The different layers correspond to the:

-   -   Distribution layer: This layer comprises digital broadcast type        systems to distribute the same information to many users        simultaneously through unidirectional links.    -   Cellular layer: The cellular layer may comprise several cell        layers with different cell size and or different access        technologies.    -   Hot spot layer: This layer may be used for very high data rate        applications, very high traffic density and individual links,        e.g. in very dense urban areas, campus areas, conference        centers, and airports.    -   Personal network layer: Personal area networks will support        short range high-speed direct communication between devices        around the users.    -   Fixed (Wired) layer: This layer includes any fixed wireline        access system.

Such an integrated mobile terminal system as provided by the presentinvention could intelligently converge mobile communications, Internet,wireline communications, wireless LAN, wireless MAN, wireless PAN, etcinto an open system platform. Each of these represents a variety ofapplications, services and delivery mechanisms. These differinginformation flows are desired by the users to be available regardless ofthe means and manner of delivery. The most important is, this mobileterminal becomes the All-in-One common personal communicator at bothhome and office or on-the-move with unified single telephone number.

It is well predicted that 2G (second generation), 3G (third generationin its present state), 4G (fourth generation), future mobile access andnomadic/local area wireless access elements are considered to be asystem as a whole in the future. This converged and integratedcommunication platform as disclosed by the present invention, ratherthan separate and single mode of standard, will definitely drive thefuture telecommunication industry, but with new business model forservice providers and operators.

Continuous evolution is foreseen in future mobile terminals, with use ofnew components, architectures, hardware, software platforms and improveduser interfaces together providing increased performance. The keytechnologies that will enable the future advanced mobile terminals asdescribed in the present invention include:

-   -   Open Wireless Architecture (OWA) supporting multiple standards        efficiently    -   Mobile Cloud technology to simplify the mobile terminal        architecture    -   Migrating the service from the carrier-centric to the        user-centric platform    -   Smart antennas and new space/time coding and decoding techniques    -   High efficiency power amplifiers and filters    -   Improved RF (radio frequency) modules, allowing higher operating        frequencies and improved receiver sensitivity    -   Advances in signal processing, increased processing efficiency    -   Improved battery technology with increased energy density    -   High-performance and low-power signal processing and processor        platform based on OWA    -   Integration and convergence with wired terminal

A unified global standard of mobile communications becomes extremelydifficult and almost impossible. An Open Wireless Architecture (OWA)based converged wireless platform will thus become reasonable andfeasible in both business and technology, and therefore ITU(international telecommunication union) IMT-Advanced standardization hasbeen targeting this direction in long run.

Open Wireless Architecture (OWA) technology is one optimal solution forthe Fourth Generation wireless and mobile communications (4G) and beyondon the worldwide basis. OWA refers to the open broadband wirelessplatform that can support diverse wireless and mobile standards, and canconverge multiple wireless networks. To achieve this flexibility, OWAfocuses on all aspects of a communication system including RF (radiofrequency), baseband processing, networking and application segments.The flexibility and adaptability required for the converged openwireless platform can be achieved by defining the open interfaceparameters for the OWA systems and networks.

OWA helps in realizing global roaming facilities and seamless networkingcapabilities amongst different radio transmission technologies. Itallows the network operators and subscribers to use third partysolutions or user-defined solutions on their systems and to customizetheir systems according to their business models. Using OWA we can buildsystems which support multiple standards, multiple bands, multiple modesand offer diverse services to the customers.

OWA is different from SDR (software defined radio) as OWA basically mapsvarious wireless standards into open interface parameters and maintainthe system platform including RF, baseband, networks and applications anopen architecture. Hence, in OWA systems, different modules (bothhardware and software) can be from different vendors. It is similar tothe open computer architecture in personal computer system and opennetwork architecture in packet router system.

However, SDR is primarily a radio in which the preset operatingparameters including inter alia frequency range, modulation type, and/oroutput power limitations can be reset or altered by software in order tosupport different radio frequency bands and/or standards. Though SDR hasbeen improved a lot to support re-configurability and flexibility, it isa closed architecture in coupling different radios into one broadbandtransceiver. In other words, SDR consumes much more power and spectrumin exchange of the system flexibility. From the business point of view,SDR is not a cost-effective solution in wireless communications.

Furthermore, SDR uses broadband transceiver to support multiple wirelessstandards which is very expensive in the commercial environment.However, OWA converges multiple air interfaces in an open systemplatform to maximize the transmission bandwidth and system performance,but each wireless transmission still uses the narrowband transceiver,therefore maintaining the system in a cost-effective way which is veryimportant for the commercial business.

By using OWA technology, we can converge multiple wireless standards inone open system to support both broadband high-speed radio transmissionand seamless fast mobility capability in a mobile fast-fadingpropagation model environment while maintaining the very high mobilenetwork capacity for the commercial mobile business.

In addition, OWA allows allocating multiple air interfaces into anexternal card so that the users can simply change wireless standards byupdating such air interface card without having to change the mobileterminal device or terminal system.

Now, how to simplify the mobile terminal system?

Our mobile research results tell us when the transmission bandwidth isenough, the information processing consumes much more resources andenergies than the transmission processing in the mobile terminal system.If we can reduce the processing burdens in the mobile terminal includingbaseband signal processing, application processing and networkingprocessing, the overall system resources and power can be tremendouslyminimized and the system can be simplified.

The aforementioned OWA technology platform has secured enoughtransmission bandwidth by converging multiple wireless standards in onecommon platform so that the mobile terminal can be optimized forbest-of-effort high-speed transmission.

By employing a computer server or network server with a home IP addressas the Virtual Mobile Server, we can configure this server as the mobilecloud server to handle the processing tasks for the mobile terminalsystem which becomes the mobile cloud client accordingly.

When the IP (Internet Protocol) connection is available for the mobileterminal based on OWA network access solution, the aforementioned mobileterminal moves its resource-consuming processing tasks to the remotevirtual mobile server through IP connection, so that most of theprocessing tasks in the mobile terminal are done in the virtual mobileserver instead.

Based on the above mobile cloud architecture, the mobile terminal systembecomes very simple with basic functions of Transceiver, User Interfaceand Information Display only.

The OWA mobile cloud infrastructure of the present invention is arevolutionary approach in developing the next generation mobile wirelesscommunications based on the OWA technology platform which basicallydiscloses the following several major inventions for the future mobileterminal system:

-   -   1. OWA provides multiple wireless transmissions solution without        relying on the broadband transceiver,    -   2. OWA provides broadband high-speed transmission while securing        seamless mobility capability,    -   3. OWA provides cost-effective and spectrum-efficient mobile        cloud solutions by introducing the Virtual Mobile Server and the        independent Virtual Register and Call Switch (VR/CS) systems,    -   4. OWA shifts the traditional carrier-centric service        architecture to the future user-centric service delivery        infrastructure.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention is directed to a simplified mobile terminal system basedon OWA (open wireless architecture) mobile cloud architecture to supportthe convergence and integration of various wireless standards includingexisting and future mobile cellular standards, wireless local areanetwork standards, wireless personal area network standards, broadbandwireless access standards and wireline standards. The mobile cloudarchitecture comprises the virtual mobile server as the mobile cloudserver and the mobile terminal as the mobile cloud client.

The OWA mobile cloud infrastructure, as set forth above, tremendouslyreduces the processing tasks in the mobile terminal system by movingmuch processing tasks remotely to the virtual mobile server through IPconnection based on OWA network access control.

The invention of this OWA mobile cloud infrastructure includes thefollowing main parts:

First, the OWA mobile cloud infrastructure of the present inventioncomprises the capability that the mobile terminal can access pluralityof and many of wireless air interfaces (or called radio transmissiontechnologies—RTTs) based on the OWA converged wireless network accessarchitecture. Such RTTs include Wireless LAN (WLAN) technology, WirelessPAN (WPAN) technology, Wireless MAN technology (or called BWAtechnology) and Cellular Mobile network technology, but not limitedthereto.

Based on WEI LU's discovery (known as LU's LAW) that “No single RadioTransmission Technology (RTT) can provide both Broadband High-speedTransmission and Seamless Mobility in a commercial environment”, thefuture mobile wireless communications will be converging multiple RTTsin an open wireless architecture (OWA) platform. The future mobileterminal is therefore to integrate and converge multiple RTTs in theorder of WLAN, WPAN, BWA and cellular mobile for the cost-effective andspectrum-efficient purpose.

On the horizontal dimension of same RTT, multiple wireless networks ofsame RTT may be available for the mobile terminal, and so, selectioncriteria are required to access such multiple wireless networks. ForWLAN, WPAN and BWA, Best-of-Efforts (BoE) based on signal strength,network performance and transmission bandwidth are normally consideredto select the right network and optimize the network access, but notlimited thereto, because such wireless access is mostly complimentary orwith low fee.

Traditionally the criterion to select cellular mobile networks(carriers) was based on rates, but it will have tremendous change in thefuture. The future mobile wireless communications will be convergingmultiple wireless technologies and converging multiple service deliveryplatforms in supporting truly service-oriented mobile communicationsrather than the traditional transmission-specific mobile networks.Therefore, the mobile users will care much more about theBest-of-Efforts (BoE), Simplicity of Use, Network Convergence,Inter-Networking QoS (quality of service) and Customer Service, etcinstead of just rates. As many experts had expected that, in the future,the wireless access cost will be free or of low cost for most of mobilewireless networks, and the new business model will be shifting from thetraditional carrier centric to the user-centric service deliveryarchitecture. In such case, the traditional carrier rate will not makeany sense for the future mobile users.

Another trend for future mobile users is to make the mobile terminal assimple as possible, mostly on low power consumption, simple system andtransmission architecture, as well as convenient personal communicationexperience, etc. In order to construct such a simple system andtransmission terminal, a new Mobile Cloud architecture has beendisclosed to move the processing tasks (applications, signals andnetworks) from the mobile terminal to the mobile cloud server calledVirtual Mobile Server whenever the IP connection is established andsynchronized between the mobile terminal and the virtual mobile server.Such virtual mobile server can support plurality of and many of mobileterminals in a centralized server center, data center or any networkcenter with IP connection, but not limited thereto.

Such user-centric mobile cloud architecture (instead of the traditionalcarrier-centric) introduces the aforementioned Virtual Mobile Server andthe Virtual Register and Call Switch (VR/CS), wherein both of themsynchronize each other through IP connection or any PDM (Packet DivisionMultiplexed) connection. The aforementioned VR/CS manages, selects andswitches the optimal cellular mobile networks for the mobile terminal ofthe mobile user based on the selection criteria as set forth above. Byintroducing the aforementioned VR/CS, we do not need to change anythingin the existing mobile or wireless network infrastructures, includingany cellular mobile networks and other wireless networks.

The VR/CS and Virtual Mobile Server, as set forth above, synchronizeeach other through wireline IP or PDM connection, or these two systemscan integrate into the same system or same center subject to differentnetwork infrastructure or different service environment. Further, bothof them can support many mobile terminals and many mobile users wherein,many mobile users and many mobile terminals can share the same VR/CS andVirtual Mobile Server, as set forth above.

The aforementioned mobile terminal synchronizes with the aforementionedVirtual Mobile Server, further synchronizing with the aforementionedVR/CS whenever an IP connection is available for the aforementionedmobile terminal. Such IP connection includes IP over wireline network,IP over WLAN, IP over WPAN, IP over BWA and IP over Cellular mobilenetwork, but not limited thereto.

The aforementioned VR/CS also manages the user-centric mobile userregistrations comprising the mobile user identifier (ID) unifying andintegrating mobile user personal communication identifier (ID), mobileuser personal identifier (ID), mobile telephone number, mobile userdomain address, mobile security identifier (or called Mobile DNA), orany identifier (ID) which the mobile user prefers, but not limitedthereto. Based on the aforementioned and further below-mentioned mobilecloud infrastructure, the future wireless and wireline networks will betotally converged and integrated into an open architecture servicedelivery platform wherein ONE device, ONE number supporting multiplenetworks will become reality. Such user-centric communicationregistration (rather than the traditional carrier-centric closedtelephone number registration) will enable truly user-preferable andtruly service-oriented PERSONAL Communication architecture for the openconvergence of multiple networks, both wireline and wireless networks.The aforementioned various mobile user registration identifiers aregenerally referred to the user-centric “Mobile User ID” by default inthe present invention, but not limited thereto.

The aforementioned user-centric Mobile User ID managed in theaforementioned VR/CS is a very user-friendly communication ID,independent to the specific wireless or wireline networks, wherein, thespecific transmission address in the specific networks may be mapped,encoded or calculated from the aforementioned Mobile User ID, but fullyseparated and independent from the mobile users. Therefore, the mobileusers do not have to change the aforementioned Mobile User ID acrossvarious different networks including both wireline and wirelessnetworks, in the future service-oriented network convergenceinfrastructure.

The aforementioned VR/CS can be implemented by general networkequipment, such as gateway, switch, router, server, but no limitedthereto, as long as IP or PDM connection is established. Such IP or PDMcan be over any wireline mediums including ATM (asynchronous transfermode), Frame Relay and Fiber Optical, but not limited thereto.

The aforementioned VR/CS manages the switching of various callsincluding voice, data, video and messages, but not limited thereto. Forthe aforementioned network selection to the multiple cellular mobilenetworks (carriers), the aforementioned VR/CS negotiates with suchmultiple cellular mobile networks based on the criteria as set forthabove.

The aforementioned mobile terminal by Open Wireless Architecture (OWA)may connect to the networks (wireline networks or wireless networks)either through IP/PDM connection (IP over wireline network, IP overWLAN, IP over WPAN, IP over BWA or IP over Cellular mobile network) orthrough Non-IP cellular mobile network.

Second, the OWA mobile cloud infrastructure of the present inventionincorporates an OWA mobile terminal integrating the WLAN technology,WPAN technology, Wireless MAN technology (or called BWA technology) andWireline Internet Access technology with the common air interfacesmobile cellular communication standards (for example, cdma2000, WCDMA,GSM, GPRS, TD-SCDMA, OFDM, WiMax, etc, but not limited thereto) throughthe Open Wireless Architecture (OWA) platform of the present invention.OWA defines the open interface for each subsystem and function unit sothat the system is open for upgrade and reconfiguration. The method ofpresent invention supports any short range wireless access technologiesincluding Wireless LAN, Wireless MAN and Wireless PAN, but not limitedthereto. Also, as utilized hereinafter the term “common air interfacemobile standards” refers to any type of mobile cellular technologyoperable in the fashion of “TDMA (time division multiplex access) orCDMA (code division multiplex access) or OFDM (orthogonal frequencydivision multiplex)”, but not limited thereto.

It is well known to the ordinary skills in the art by the time of thisinvention that, the wireline communication is normally based on IP(internet protocol) connection, no matter that the physical wirelinetransmission is based on ATM (asynchronous transfer mode), Frame-Relay,Fiber Optical or other mediums. In such case, the wireline connection isbased on “IP over such broadband high-speed wireline mediums”. Becausethe wireline link is of very high-speed broadband transmission (up tohundreds of Gb/s to Tb/s), we assume the wireline transmission bandwidthis up to unlimited. Hence, we can simply call the wireline connection asIP connection.

However, for wireless transmission limited by the available radiospectrum, the wireless transmission bandwidth is far from “unlimited”,and therefore it requires to specify the underlying physicaltransmission medium in order to support the IP connection. In general,wireless radio transmission is based on circuit-switched (instead ofpacket-switched) transmission mode, especially for the cellular mobilecommunications with fast-fading propagation model. Therefore, forgeneral radio transmission technologies (RTTs) and by default, thewireless link is non-IP connection. For example, the cellular CDMA andTDMA mobile communications with fast-fading seamless mobile radiopropagation model, the wireless transmission link is a non-IPconnection. However, for some non-seamless mobile and short rangewireless access networks, because the radio propagation model isslow-fading and the radio transmission environment is very stable, thepacket-division (or packet switched) connection becomes possible overthe slow-fading and stable circuit-switched transmission medium of theunderlying physical layer. Such slow-fading and stable RTTs include thenon-mobile WLAN, WPAN, BWA and the slow-mobile BWA and Cellular mobilenetworks. In order to support the mobile Internet services, by default,the WLAN, WPAN and BWA can support IP connection. For cellular mobilenetworks, IP connection is possible if the radio propagation model isslow-fading, mobile speed is low and/or the transmission environment isstable, otherwise, the cellular radio link remains the circuit-switchednon-IP connection. So, for wireless communications by default, we haveIP over WLAN, IP over WPAN, IP over BWA and IP over Cellular Mobile aswell as non-IP over Cellular Mobile, but not limited thereto.

Third, the OWA mobile terminal of the present invention supportsmultiple standards of both wireless and wireline communications whereinSoftware Defined Module (SDM) is used to install or update the differentcommunication standards module. This SDM can be stored in an ExternalCard, for example, flash memory card, SIM (smart integrated memory)card, or downloadable from the Internet. The External Card of the SDMmay also contain independent processor, DSP (Digital Signal Processor)or other components in addition to memory unit to facilitate additionalsystem processing.

Fourth, the OWA mobile terminal of the present invention incorporatesautomatic network access capabilities, wherein the mobile terminalsystem searches the available network access in the order of wirednetwork, Wireless LAN, Wireless PAN, BWA (broadband wireless access),mobile cellular network for example, but not limited thereto. The searchorder can be updated or managed by the user. When the wired network isdetected, this mobile terminal becomes the wireline terminal and thecommunication is established by IP connection including IP data, IPvideo and VoIP for voice, etc. If wired network is not available, andWireless LAN is detected, this mobile terminal becomes the Wireless LANterminal and the communication is established by IP connection too.Wireless LAN access is regarded as the wireless extension of thewireline network access in the local short range domain. If both wirednetwork and Wireless LAN are not available, the mobile terminal systemof the present invention will search other short range wireless accessnetworks including Wireless PAN, etc, or search broadband WirelessMetropolitan Area Networks (Wireless MAN) or called Broadband WirelessAccess (BWA) for wireless IP connection. In the event that all thesenetworks are not detected, the mobile terminal will switch back to thecellular mobile mode wherein cellular mobile air interface standards(for example, GSM/GPRS, cdma2000, WCDMA, TD-SCDMA, etc, but not limitedto) will be employed based on the mobile preference list set by theuser.

The cellular mobile networks include IP connection for slow-mobile,slow-fading and/or stable radio transmission environment, and non-IPtraditional circuit-switched connection if the mobile speed is too fastor the propagation model is of fast-fading.

The mobile cellular air-interface modules supported in the mobileterminal of the present invention can be stored in the terminal itself,or in the External Card or its software and parameters downloaded fromthe Internet in the form of the aforementioned SDM. The mobile terminalassociated with the OWA mobile cloud of the present invention istherefore capable of being operative in an open wireless and wirelinecommunication environment supporting various standards and interfaces.

Fifth, the OWA mobile terminal of present invention incorporates a newincoming Call Processing Management capability in the Virtual Registerand Call Switch (VR/CS), wherein the incoming mobile calls (includingVoice, data, Video and Message calls) associated with the called mobilephone number or called mobile user identifier (mobile user ID) arequeued for further connecting to the destination mobile terminal basedon the Connection Table containing the current network access status ofthe destination mobile terminal as set forth above. If this destinationmobile terminal connects to the wired Internet network (first priorityfor example) or Wireless LAN or Wireless PAN or Wireless MAN (or calledBWA), the aforementioned incoming call is forwarded to the destinationmobile terminal directly through IP connection by IP-calling from theVR/CS to the destination mobile terminal as set forth above, wherein theVisitor IP address reported by the destination mobile terminal isdialed. If the destination mobile terminal, as set forth above, does notconnect to either the wired network or the wireless LAN or the wirelessPAN or the wireless MAN, but connects to the cellular mobile network(for example, TDMA or CDMA or mobile OFDM), the aforementioned incomingcall is forwarded to the associated Base Station wherein thecommunication with the destination mobile terminal is over the wirelesscellular air link (through allocated mobile cellular transmissionchannel) of available mobile cellular standards. Based on the radiopropagation model (fast-fading or slow-fading), terminal mobile speed(fast seamless mobile or slow mobile) and radio transmission environment(stable or unstable), the aforementioned cellular mobile communicationlink can be either IP connection or non-IP connection.

Based on different underlying physical transmission mediums, the IPconnection of the aforementioned mobile terminal can be IP overwireline, IP over WLAN, IP over WPAN, IP over BWA or IP over CellularMobile, but not limited thereto.

In case the destination mobile terminal, as set forth above, is not ableto access any above available networks, the VR/CS then forward theaforementioned incoming call to a main computer Server, in main servercenter or data center, which is configured as a Virtual Mobile Servercalled Mobile Cloud Server through IP connection, as will be describedwithin the context of the present invention.

To simplify the system implementation and maximize the systemperformance of the aforementioned mobile terminal, in case the incomingcall is a rich-application call (consuming much transmission bandwidthand processing resources) such as video call or large file call, etc,but the stable and high-speed IP connection is not available, theaforementioned mobile terminal may request the aforementioned VR/CS toreroute the aforementioned incoming call to the aforementioned virtualmobile server without connecting this incoming call to theaforementioned mobile terminal to save both wireless system and wirelesstransmission resources.

The aforementioned IP connection applied to all of the Packet DivisionMultiplex (PDM) networks in supporting packet-switched transmissions. Bydefault in the present invention, PDM refers to IP or otherpacket-switched connections.

When multiple cellular networks are available for the aforementionedmobile terminal to select the optimal cellular mobile link(s), either inIP connection or in non-IP connection, the selection method of cellularnetworks is based on the overall rating of Best-of-Effort, Simplicityand Convergence, Inter-networking QoS (quality of service), NetworkPerformance, Cost Effectiveness and Customer Services for each mobileuser, but not limited thereto. Such network selection table ismaintained in the Network Access Optimizer of the aforementioned VR/CS,synchronized with the virtual mobile server, as set forth above.

Whenever an IP connection is available, the aforementioned mobileterminal synchronizes with the virtual mobile server in a real-time andoptimized manner.

The synchronized IP or PDM link between the mobile terminal and thevirtual mobile server, as set forth above, include IP over WLAN, IP overWPAN, IP over BWA and IP over Cellular Mobile network, but not limitedthereto.

The aforementioned WLAN may include WiFi network, wireless local loop,IEEE802.11 network and HyperLAN, but not limited thereto. Theaforementioned WPAN may include Bluetooth network, ZigBee network, UWB(ultra wideband wireless) network and IEEE802.15 network, but notlimited thereto. The aforementioned BWA may include WiMax network,spectrum-spreading wireless network, wireless ATM (asynchronous transfermode) network and IEEE802.16 network, but not limited thereto. Theaforementioned cellular mobile network may include CDMA, TDMA and OFDM,as set forth above, but not limited thereto.

Sixth, the OWA mobile cloud of the present invention comprises theutilization of the computer server(s) with Internet access as theVirtual Mobile Server (also called Mobile Cloud Server) in Data Centeror in any server locations, as set forth above, supporting theaforementioned mobile terminal of the present invention with enhancedfunctions and services, for example, network optimization, mobilesecretary, mobile applications, mobile Internet optimization server,mobile Internet applications server, Voice and Video server, ShortMessage Service (SMS) server, Multimedia Message Service (MMS) server,aforementioned SDM center and Date Center, etc. This Virtual MobileServer, as set forth above, also takes the function of Special ServiceManagement for the aforementioned mobile terminal on mobile location,emergency call, information collection, security and safety control,sensor network control and OWA mobile cloud O&M (Operation andMaintenance), etc. Additionally, one Virtual Mobile Server, as set forthabove, can support one or multiple mobile terminals of the presentinvention, wherein many such mobile terminals can share the sameaforementioned Virtual Mobile Server.

The aforementioned Virtual Mobile Server(s) supporting group or many ofaforementioned mobile terminals can locate in the computer servers'center or in the network data center.

For the OWA mobile cloud infrastructure of the present invention, theaforementioned virtual mobile server comprises an important TerminalProcessing Unit which operates the OWA Interface processing, base-bandsignal processing, application processing and networking processing forthe mobile terminal, as set forth above.

The aforementioned Terminal Processing Unit further comprises thefollowing functions with the aforementioned mobile terminal: bandwidthoptimization and synchronization, signals synchronization, applicationssynchronization as well as network optimization and synchronization.

The aforementioned virtual mobile server also includes a Mobile InternetApplications server for the aforementioned mobile terminal when the IPconnection between them is available.

The aforementioned virtual mobile server is a very important system forthe OWA mobile cloud infrastructure which is utilized for mobile cloudserver processing for the mobile terminal(s), hosting various mobileapplications and maintaining the aforementioned SDM air interfacesmodules for one or multiple mobile terminals, as set forth above.

The aforementioned virtual mobile server can be located in the networkData center supporting groups of the aforementioned mobile terminals.

Whenever an IP connection is available, the aforementioned mobileterminal synchronizes with the virtual mobile server in a real-time andoptimized manner.

The synchronized IP or PDM link between the mobile terminal and thevirtual mobile server, as set forth above, include IP over WLAN, IP overWPAN, IP over BWA and IP over Cellular Mobile network, but not limitedthereto.

Seventh, the OWA mobile cloud infrastructure of the present inventiondefines a new OWA Interface to maximize the information transmissionefficiency between the aforementioned mobile terminal and theaforementioned virtual mobile server. This OWA interface optimizes thewireless transmission for IP (internet protocol) over multiple radiotransmission technologies (RTTs) including IP over WLAN, IP over WPAN,IP over BWA or IP over Cellular Mobile, but not limited thereto.

Eighth, the OWA mobile terminal of the present invention supports openinterface between the main functional units of the mobile terminal andthe RF/IF (radio frequency/intermediate frequency) subsystem so that themobile terminal RF/IF part is portable and reconfigurable. In otherwords, mobile users can change or replace the RF/IF ports subject tomultiple different RTTs but without having to change the aforementionedmobile terminal device. This method of the present invention isnecessary when the different wireless standards run in differentfrequency bands which are not within same RF/IF transceiver limit. Thisopen and portable RF/IF architecture of the present invention is alsovery important to support new wireless transceiver technologiesincluding smart antennas, MIMO (Multiple Input, Multiple Output), Highefficiency power amplifiers, Improved RF modules allowing multipleoperating frequencies and improved receiver sensitivity, etc.

Ninth, the system and method of present invention introduces a newinnovative solution to converge and integrate the various communicationdevices into one open platform, wherein the conventional home phone,office phone and cellular phone, etc are combined together into anintegrated and converged terminal, as set forth above, with one singlecommunication number. Furthermore, the aforementioned common terminal ofthe present invention utilizes the existing or any future communicationstandards (including both wireless and wireline standards by changing orreplacing the aforementioned SDM card) rather than relying on newdefined transmission technologies. Specifically, as described within thecontext of the present invention, the aforementioned common terminal isjust an improvement of the existing communication device, wherein thiscommon terminal, as set forth above, is operable in each individualcommunication standard and backwards compatible to the same individualtransmission technology.

Lastly, the system and method of present invention comprises the bestand optimal utilization of the existing communication infrastructure,wherein almost all existing telecommunication equipments, includingMobile Switching Center, Base Station, Gateway and Router, and backbonenetworks, but not limited thereto, remain unchanged and fully operable.

The advantage of the OWA Mobile Cloud system and method of the presentinvention includes remarkable improvement of spectrum efficiency inmobile cellular bands, improvement in network resource and radiotransmission resource, optimization in network interoperability,enhancement of the emerging broadband availability, convergence ofentertainment and Voice/Data services, interaction and integration ofvarious communication devices and defining the future intelligence oftruly smart and service-oriented communication environment. Morespecifically, the system of the present invention provides thecapability of the true Personal Communications, wherein one singlemobile terminal with one single mobile number or mobile identifiermanages all personal communications needs everywhere and anytime.

As a conclusion, the OWA mobile cloud infrastructure of the presentinvention is a revolutionary approach in developing the next generationmobile wireless communications based on the OWA technology platformwhich basically discloses the following several major inventions for thefuture mobile terminal system:

-   -   1. OWA provides multiple wireless transmissions solution without        relying on the expensive broadband transceiver,    -   2. OWA provides broadband high-speed transmission while securing        seamless mobility capability,    -   3. OWA provides cost-effective and spectrum-efficient mobile        cloud solutions by introducing the Virtual Mobile Server        platform,    -   4. OWA enables the mobile terminals and the virtual mobile        server fully synchronized when the IP connection is available,        thus greatly simplifying the mobile terminal system in terms of        power consumption and system performance,    -   5. OWA discloses the converged and Best-of-Effort IP connection        for the mobile terminal comprising IP over wireline network, IP        over WLAN, IP over WPAN, IP over BWA and IP over Cellular Mobile        networks.

Further in conclusion, an Open Wireless Architecture (OWA) Mobile CloudInfrastructure of the present invention discloses the following systems:

-   -   a) Virtual Register and Call Switch (VR/CS) managing, selecting,        connecting and switching the multiple cellular mobile networks        for a Mobile Terminal of a mobile user based on preset network        selection criteria, and also managing mobile users'        registrations based on user-centric instead of carrier-centric        registration model,    -   b) Virtual Mobile Server (VMS) as Mobile Cloud Server managing        mobile users, mobile users' network access, mobile applications        and mobile data center, and synchronizing with the        aforementioned VR/CS through wireline IP (Internet Protocol) or        PDM (Packet Division Multiplexed) connection, and    -   c) Mobile Terminal as Mobile Cloud Client connecting to and        synchronizing with the aforementioned VMS and VR/CS through the        aforementioned IP over wireline or wireless connection, or        connecting to the aforementioned VR/CS through Non-IP (internet        protocol) cellular mobile connection.

All these and other introductions of the present invention will becomemuch clear when the drawings as well as the detailed descriptions aretaken into consideration.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For the full understanding of the nature of the present invention,reference should be made to the following detailed descriptions with theaccompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a Mobile Cloud infrastructure supporting OWA mobile terminalwherein Virtual Mobile Server and Virtual Register and Call Switch(VR/CS) are disclosed to optimize the system and transmissionperformance for the mobile terminal.

FIG. 2 is an Architecture of Mobile Cloud wireless mobile Terminal,wherein main functional modules of this invention are disclosed.

FIG. 3 is the Call Processing Management in Virtual Register and CallSwitch (VR/CS) Center with Virtual Mobile Server, wherein the incomingmobile calls (Voice, Data, Video or Message) are further forwarded tothe aforementioned mobile terminal through IP link or over the non-IPmobile cellular air link channel. For the outgoing calls, the mobileuser can simply dial the destination IP address if there is an IPconnection for the mobile terminal, or select the preferred cellularnetwork if no IP connection is available for the mobile terminal.

FIG. 4 introduces the Virtual Mobile Server (VMS) as the mobile cloudserver, wherein the mobile terminal processing tasks are executed inthis server over the cloud which include the OWA interface processing,signal processing, application processing and networking processing. Italso processes other functions for the mobile terminal(s) of the presentinvention. The VMS is located in the main server center or in the Datacenter, supporting groups of mobile terminals or mobile users.

FIG. 5 is a transmission framework of mobile cloud OWA Interface forcommunicating between the mobile terminal and the virtual mobile server.The OWA Interface optimizes the wireless transmission with IP (internetprotocol) over various RTTs (radio transmission technologies) such as IPover WLAN, IP over WPAN, IP over BWA and IP over Cellular, etc.

FIG. 6 discloses an OWA application optimizer in the mobile terminal tomanage the mobile application processing either through the virtualmobile server or locally in the mobile terminal.

Like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the several viewsof the drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present invention relates to a mobile cloud architecture based onOWA platform wherein the processing tasks of the mobile terminalincluding base-band signal processing, application processing andnetworking processing can be allocated to the virtual mobile serverwhich is a computer server with home IP address or assigned roaming IPaddress by the aforementioned home IP address when an IP connection isset up between the mobile terminal and the virtual mobile server. SuchIP connection is established when the mobile terminal connects to awireline network, a short range wireless access network (for example,Wireless LAN and Wireless PAN, but not limited thereto) or a broadbandwireless metropolitan area network (Wireless MAN, for example, BroadbandWireless Access system, but not limited thereto). In this way, themobile terminal's system complexity can be tremendously reduced, theprocessing power consumption can be greatly decreased and the systemperformance is maximized accordingly.

An OWA mobile cloud infrastructure of the present invention comprisesthe capability that the mobile terminal can access plurality of and manyof wireless air interfaces (or called radio transmissiontechnologies—RTTs) based on the OWA converged wireless network accessarchitecture. Such RTTs include Wireless LAN (WLAN) technology, WirelessPAN (WPAN) technology, Wireless MAN technology (or called BWAtechnology) and Cellular Mobile network technology, but not limitedthereto.

Based on WEI LU's discovery that “No single Radio TransmissionTechnology (RTT) can provide both Broadband High-speed Transmission andSeamless Mobility in a commercial environment”, the future mobilewireless communications will be converging multiple RTTs in an openwireless architecture (OWA) platform. The future mobile terminal istherefore to integrate and converge multiple RTTs in the order of WLAN,WPAN, BWA and cellular mobile for the cost-effective andspectrum-efficient purpose.

On the horizontal dimension of same RTT, multiple wireless networks ofsame RTT may be available for the mobile terminal, and so, selectioncriteria are required to access such multiple wireless networks. ForWLAN, WPAN and BWA, Best-of-Efforts (BoE) based on signal strength,network performance and transmission bandwidth are normally consideredto select the right network and optimize the network access, but notlimited thereto, because such wireless access is mostly complimentary orwith low fee.

Traditionally the criteria to select cellular mobile networks (carriers)was based on rates, but it will have tremendous change in the future.The future mobile wireless communications will be converging multiplewireless technologies and converging multiple service delivery platformsin supporting truly service-oriented mobile communications rather thanthe traditional transmission-specific mobile networks. Therefore, themobile users will care much more about the Best-of-Efforts (BoE),Simplicity of Use, Network Convergence, Inter-Networking QoS (quality ofservice) and Customer Service, etc instead of just rates. As manyexperts had expected that, in the future, the wireless access cost willbe free or of low cost for most of mobile wireless networks, and the newbusiness model will be shifting from the traditional carrier centric tothe user-centric service delivery architecture. In such case, thetraditional carrier rate will not make any sense for the future mobileusers.

Another trend for future mobile users is to make the mobile terminal assimple as possible, mostly on low power consumption, simple system andtransmission architecture, as well as convenient personal communicationexperience, etc. In order to construct such a simple system andtransmission terminal , a new Mobile Cloud architecture has beendisclosed to move the processing tasks (applications, signals andnetworks) from the mobile terminal to the mobile cloud server calledVirtual Mobile Server whenever the IP connection is established andsynchronized between the mobile terminal and the virtual mobile server.Such virtual mobile server can support plurality of and many of mobileterminals in a centralized server center, data center or any networkcenter with IP connection, but not limited thereto.

Such user-centric mobile cloud architecture (instead of the traditionalcarrier-centric) for the OWA mobile terminal as shown in FIG. 1,introduces the aforementioned Virtual Mobile Server and a VirtualRegister and Call Switch (VR/CS), wherein both of them synchronize eachother through IP connection or any PDM (Packet Division Multiplexed)connection. The aforementioned VR/CS manages, selects and switches theoptimal cellular mobile networks for the mobile terminal of the mobileuser based on the selection criteria as set forth above. By introducingthe aforementioned VR/CS, we do not need to change anything in theexisting mobile or wireless network infrastructures, including anycellular mobile networks and other wireless networks.

The VR/CS and Virtual Mobile Server, as set forth above, synchronizeeach other through wireline IP or PDM connection, or these two systemscan integrate into the same system or same center subject to differentnetwork infrastructure or different service environment. Further, bothof them can support many mobile terminals and many mobile users wherein,many mobile users and many mobile terminals can share the same VR/CS andVirtual Mobile Server, as set forth above.

The aforementioned mobile terminal synchronizes with the aforementionedVirtual Mobile Server, further synchronizing with the aforementionedVR/CS whenever an IP connection is available for the aforementionedmobile terminal. Such IP connection includes IP over wireline network,IP over WLAN, IP over WPAN, IP over BWA and IP over Cellular mobilenetwork, but not limited thereto.

The aforementioned VR/CS also manages the user-centric mobile userregistrations comprising the mobile user identifier (ID) unifying andintegrating mobile user personal communication identifier (ID), mobileuser personal identifier (ID), mobile telephone number, mobile userdomain address, mobile security identifier (or called Mobile DNA), orany identifier (ID) which the mobile user prefers, but not limitedthereto. Based on the aforementioned and further below-mentioned mobilecloud infrastructure, the future wireless and wireline networks will betotally converged and integrated into an open architecture servicedelivery platform wherein ONE device, ONE number supporting multiplenetworks will become reality. Such user-centric communicationregistration (rather than the traditional carrier-centric closedtelephone number registration) will enable truly user-preferable andtruly service-oriented PERSONAL Communication architecture for the openconvergence of multiple networks, both wireline and wireless networks.The aforementioned various mobile user registration identifiers aregenerally referred to the user-centric “Mobile User ID” by default inthe present invention, but not limited thereto.

The aforementioned user-centric Mobile User ID managed in theaforementioned VR/CS is a very user-friendly communication ID,independent to the specific wireless or wireline networks, wherein, thespecific transmission address in the specific networks may be mapped,encoded or calculated from the aforementioned Mobile User ID, but fullyseparated and independent from the mobile users. Therefore, the mobileusers do not have to change the aforementioned Mobile User ID acrossvarious different networks including both wireline and wirelessnetworks, in the future service-oriented network convergenceinfrastructure.

The aforementioned VR/CS manages the switching of various callsincluding voice, data, video and messages, but not limited thereto. Forthe aforementioned network selection to the multiple cellular mobilenetworks (carriers), the aforementioned VR/CS negotiates with suchmultiple cellular mobile networks based on the criteria as set forthabove.

The aforementioned multiple cellular mobile networks can converge ormerge into a unified cellular mobile network to optimize the open mobilecloud infrastructure.

The aforementioned mobile terminal by Open Wireless Architecture (OWA)may connect to the networks (wireline networks or wireless networks)either through IP/PDM connection (IP over wireline network, IP overWLAN, IP over WPAN, IP over BWA or IP over Cellular mobile network) orthrough Non-IP cellular mobile network.

The Virtual Mobile Server and the VR/CS, as set forth above, connect tothe backbone Internet through IP or PDM connection, and theaforementioned mobile terminal becomes the mobile cloud client onceconnected and synchronized with the aforementioned virtual mobile serverthrough IP or PDM connection. All wireless networks disclosed in FIG. 1connect to the backbone Internet through IP or PDM connections.

The aforementioned mobile terminal can be any wireless or mobileterminal equipment of mobile Internet, Internet of Things (IoT), CyberPhysical Systems, Ubiquitous networks, Sensor networks, but not limitedthereto.

FIG. 2 is an architecture of mobile cloud wireless mobile terminal ofthe present invention, wherein the key functional units are:

Open Wireless Architecture (OWA) Interface—this software unit isutilized for the communication of various processing data and controls(including base-band signal processing, application processing andnetworking processing, but not limited to) between the mobile terminaland the virtual mobile server, as set forth above. Open architecture isvery important for next generation communication systems because itallows different modules and subsystems to be provided by variousdifferent vendors through the open interface standards. OWA is differentfrom SDR (software defined radio) as OWA basically maps various wirelessstandards into open interface parameters and maintain the systemplatform including RF, baseband, networks and applications an openarchitecture. Hence, in OWA systems, different modules (both hardwareand software) can be from different vendors. It is similar to the opencomputer architecture in personal computer system and open networkarchitecture in packet router system.

However, SDR is primarily a radio in which the preset operatingparameters including inter alia frequency range, modulation type, and/oroutput power limitations can be reset or altered by software in order tosupport different radio frequency bands and/or standards. Though SDR hasbeen improved a lot to support re-configurability and flexibility, it isa closed architecture in coupling different radios or modules into onebroadband transceiver. In other words, SDR consumes much more power andspectrum in exchange of the system flexibility. From the business pointof view, SDR is not a cost-effective solution in commercial wirelesscommunications.

The OWA Interface of the present invention optimizes the transmissionefficiency between the mobile terminal and the virtual mobile server, asset forth above.

OWA Software Defined Module (SDM—this functional module supportsmultiple wireless standards (air-interfaces) for the mobile terminal ofthe present invention. The module can be stored in the aforementionedmobile terminal, or in the external card or downloaded from theInternet. The OWA of this invention supports open air interfaces so thatusers can change different wireless standards, including existingstandards or future standards, by updating or replacing this SDM module,as set forth above, wherein this SDM module may further containindependent processors or DSP (Digital Signal Processing) components inaddition to memory units to facilitate signal processing and/or protocolprocessing of related standards, etc.

OWA Core—this functional module provides basic multi-dimensional OWAopen baseband processing of multiple wireless standards to ensure thefully operational and efficient capability of OWA digital transceiverworking in an open wireless environment.

It also schedules the signal processing tasks between the localprocessing unit and the remote processing unit in the virtual mobileserver, as set forth above.

OWA Application Processing Optimizer—this module schedules the basicapplications (such as voice, short message, text, but not limitedthereto) locally in the mobile terminal or the rich applications (suchas video, big file, large data, web, multimedia, but not limitedthereto) remotely through the aforementioned virtual mobile server.

Radio Frequency (RF)/Intermediate Frequency (IF) Subsystem is a portableradio unit with open interface to the main functional units of themobile terminal of the present invention. This separate open radiosubsystem is necessary to support various wireless standards running indifferent frequency bands, wherein the user may change this radio partin case of needs. Additionally, this open radio subsystem supports newwireless transceiver technologies, for example, smart antennas, MIMO(Multiple Input, Multiple Output), High efficiency power amplifiers,Improved RF modules allowing multiple operating frequencies and improvedreceiver sensitivity, etc, but not intended to be limited to suchtechnologies.

Network Interface Unit (NIU) is used to provide wireline networkconnection and wired communication interface for the mobile terminal ofthe present invention.

User Interface (INF) unit is used to provide user-machine interfacesincluding keyboard input, touch-screen input, information recognitioninput, wireless input, optical input and user information output, etc,but not limited thereto.

Display Unit is to generate the results of signal processing,application processing and networking processing, etc.

Sensor Unit is used to provide interfaces to different sensors ofsecurity, health, safety, location, automation and intelligence, etc,but not limited thereto.

Digital transceiver unit includes digital down-converter, digitalup-converter, analog-to-digital converter and digital-to-analogconverter.

It is well known to the ordinary skills in the art by the time of thisinvention that, the wireline communication is normally based on IP(internet protocol) connection, no matter that the physical wirelinetransmission is based on ATM (asynchronous transfer mode), Frame-Relay,Fiber Optical or other mediums. In such case, the wireline connection isbased on “IP over such broadband high-speed wireline mediums”. Becausethe wireline link is of very high-speed broadband transmission (up tohundreds of Gb/s to Tb/s), we assume the wireline transmission bandwidthis up to unlimited. Hence, we can simply call the wireline connection asIP connection.

However, for wireless transmission limited by the available radiospectrum, the wireless transmission bandwidth is far from “unlimited”,and therefore it requires to specify the underlying physicaltransmission medium in order to support the IP connection. In general,wireless radio transmission is based on circuit-switched (instead ofpacket-switched) transmission mode, especially for the cellular mobilecommunications with fast-fading propagation model. Therefore, forgeneral radio transmission technologies (RTTs) and by default, thewireless link is non-IP connection. For example, the cellular CDMA andTDMA mobile communications with fast-fading seamless mobile radiopropagation model, the wireless transmission link is a non-IPconnection. However, for some non-seamless mobile and short rangewireless access networks, because the radio propagation model isslow-fading and the radio transmission environment is very stable, thepacket-division (or packet switched) connection becomes possible overthe slow-fading and stable circuit-switched transmission medium of theunderlying physical layer. Such slow-fading and stable RTTs include thenon-mobile WLAN, WPAN, BWA and the slow-mobile BWA and Cellular mobilenetworks. In order to support the mobile Internet services, by default,the WLAN, WPAN and BWA can support IP connection. For cellular mobilenetworks, IP connection is possible if the radio propagation model isslow-fading, mobile speed is low and/or the transmission environment isstable, otherwise, the cellular radio link remains the circuit-switchednon-IP connection. So, for wireless communications by default, we haveIP over WLAN, IP over WPAN, IP over BWA and IP over Cellular Mobile aswell as non-IP Cellular Mobile, but not limited thereto.

The aforementioned mobile terminal is a converged open-architectureterminal supporting wireline network, WLAN, WPAN, BWA and cellularmobile network, as set for the above, but not limited thereto.

FIG. 3 shows the incoming Mobile Call Processing Management in theVirtual Register and Call Switch (VR/CS), associated with the mobileterminal of the present invention, wherein the key control proceduresare:

Firstly, the aforementioned VR/CS checks whether the mobile terminal hasrequested VR/CS to reroute its incoming call (voice, data, video ormessage call) to the virtual mobile server (main server(s) with Internetconnection of home IP address(s)), as set forth above, withoutconnecting to the mobile terminal. This request is necessary when themobile terminal does not have a high-speed IP connection, but theincoming call contains large big file or long video file, etc, or whenthe mobile terminal is busy and does not want to accept new callsconsuming too much wireless bandwidth or system resources, etc. If nosuch rerouting request is received in the aforementioned VR/CS, then itproceeds to the next step.

The Connection Table (Conn_Table) is frequently updated by the mobileterminal, synchronized with the aforementioned virtual mobile server, asset forth above, through specific network connections, wherein “VisitorIP address” is reported in case of wired network connection or shortrange wireless access connection (for example, WLAN or WPAN) orbroadband wireless access network connection based on IP connection aswell as in some situations, the cellular mobile networks in slow mobile,slow fading and/or stable radio transmission environment wherein IP overcellular mobile is possible. If there are no such IP connectionsavailable with the aforementioned mobile terminal, the VR/CS, as setforth above, together with associated mobile switching center (orgateway) and base station, communicates with this mobile terminal overthe cellular mobile networks, for example, CDMA networks, TDMA networksor OFDM networks, but not limited thereto, wherein the specific cellularair-link channel address is reported to the aforementioned ConnectionTable.

When the aforementioned mobile terminal reports the aforementionedVisitor IP address to the aforementioned VR/CS and further synchronizewith the aforementioned VMS, the global equipment identifier (ID) (suchas global mobile phone ID or global mobile device ID, etc) of theaforementioned mobile terminal is thereby reported to the aforementionedVMS to link to the aforementioned Visitor IP address in order to tracethe aforementioned mobile terminal in different IP networks of theaforementioned IP connection. This is very useful to trace the terminalequipment when the aforementioned mobile terminal gets lost, stolen orunauthorized use, but not limited thereto.

When an incoming mobile call (including voice, data, video and messagecall) is received and there is no rerouting request (rerouting tovirtual mobile server) from the mobile terminal, the aforementionedVR/CS searches the Connection Table associated with the called mobileterminal (or the destination mobile terminal in this case) of thepresent invention. If a Visitor IP address is found, the VR/CS dials orre-synchronizes this IP address, through IP Call Switch in VR/CS (orother IP system in different infrastructure), to establish the IPconnection accordingly. If this Visitor IP address is not available, andthe regular cellular mobile link address (for example, CDMA, TDMA orOFDM channel address) is found and associated with the calleddestination mobile terminal number, the VR/CS switches to the associatedcellular network and connects the associated mobile switching center (orgateway) and base station to establish the communication with thedestination mobile terminal, as set forth above, over the cellularmobile air link. This cellular mobile channel can be either staticchannel or dynamically assigned channel to optimize the wirelessspectrum utilization. Based on the radio propagation model (fast-fadingor slow-fading), terminal mobile speed (fast seamless mobile or slowmobile) and radio transmission environment (stable or unstable), theaforementioned cellular mobile communication link can be either IPconnection or non-IP connection.

However, it is emphasized that the OWA mobile cloud infrastructure ofthe present invention utilizes the terms “mobile switching center,mobile gateway, base station, etc”, which in the context of the presentinvention, is meant to include the aforementioned existing CDMA system,TDMA/GSM system, OFDM system, or any other mobile communicationinfrastructure utilizing different network topology and/or networkarchitecture with different terms which may or may not have all of thefunctional characteristics of existing CDMA or TDMA or OFDM standards.As such, the OWA mobile cloud infrastructure of the present invention isnot meant to be limited to current mobile cellular communicationinfrastructure, and the subsequent specific description utilization andexplanation of certain characteristics previously recited as beingcharacteristics of a mobile switching center or base station or mobilegateway or mobile router are not intended to be limited to suchtechnology.

If after searching the Connection Table, as set forth above, bothVisitor IP address and cellular mobile link address (including CDMA orTDMA or OFDM channel) are not found, the aforementioned VR/CS has toforward the incoming call, over IP connection, to the aforementionedvirtual mobile server, wherein a fixed Home IP address is stored in theaforementioned Connection Table.

Therefore, the incoming mobile call processing management in VR/CS (orany Mobile Gateway, Mobile Switch in different terms) of the presentinvention requires the minimum modification of the existing mobilecommunication infrastructure.

The aforementioned mobile terminal of the present invention searches forthe access networks in the priority order of Wired network, Wireless LAN(WLAN), Wireless PAN (WPAN), Wireless MAN (or called BWA), TDMA, CDMAand OFDM, for example but not limited to, to maximize the wirelessspectrum utilization efficiency and broadband services. However, thisaccess control order can be re-defined by the mobile user with themobile terminal of the present invention. Additionally, the OWA mobileterminal of the present invention has the function to frequently searchfor the higher priority network access mode whenever the connection isin the low priority mode to optimize the network access control for themobile terminal of the present invention.

The cellular mobile networks may include IP connection for slow-mobile,slow-fading and/or stable radio transmission environment, and non-IPtraditional circuit-switched wireless connection if the mobile speed istoo fast or the radio propagation model is of fast-fading.

Based on different underlying physical transmission mediums, the IPconnection of the aforementioned mobile terminal can be IP overwireline, IP over WLAN, IP over WPAN, IP over BWA or IP over CellularMobile, but not limited thereto.

The aforementioned IP connection refers to any connection of the PacketDivision Multiplexed (PDM) networks including IP network and otherpacket-switched networks. By default in the present invention, PDMrefers to IP or other packet-switched connections.

When multiple cellular networks are available for the aforementionedmobile terminal to select the optimal cellular mobile link(s), either inIP connection or in non-IP connection, the selection method of cellularnetworks is based on the overall criteria of Best-of-Effort, Simplicityand Convergence, Inter-networking QoS (quality of service), NetworkPerformance, Cost Effectiveness and Customer Services for each mobileuser, but not limited thereto. Such network selection table ismaintained in the Network Access Optimizer of the aforementioned VR/CS,synchronized with the virtual mobile server, as set forth above.

Whenever an IP connection is available, the aforementioned mobileterminal synchronizes with the virtual mobile server in a real-time andoptimized manner.

The aforementioned IP Connection is selected and optimized by theaforementioned Mobile Terminal in the default priority order of IP overwireline network, IP over WLAN, IP over WPAN, IP over BWA and IP overcellular mobile network, as set forth above, to maximize the wirelessspectrum utilization efficiency, but the aforementioned priority ordercan be changed by the aforementioned mobile user.

The aforementioned IP Connection for the aforementioned mobile terminalcan be roamed among IP networks of wireline network, WLAN, WPAN, BWA andcellular mobile network, as set forth above, in the aforementionedpriority order when the aforementioned mobile terminal of theaforementioned mobile user moves across different IP networks, as setforth above.

The Call Switch unit in the aforementioned VR/CS manages the IPconnecting and Non-IP connecting functions.

The Mobile User Registration in the aforementioned VR/CS includes MobileUser Identifier (ID), Mobile User's Connection Table, Mobile User'sVirtual Mobile Sever IP Address.

The aforementioned mobile terminal can connect to other mobile terminalsin an Ad-Hoc or Mesh network manner, synchronized by the aforementionedVR/CS and the aforementioned VMS whenever the aforementioned IPconnection is available.

The aforementioned mobile terminal can seamlessly roam among WLAN, WPAN,BWA and cellular mobile network, as set forth above, synchronized by theaforementioned VR/CS and the aforementioned VMS whenever theaforementioned IP connection is available.

In summary, the aforementioned Open Wireless Architecture (OWA) MobileCloud method comprises:

-   -   a) If the aforementioned Mobile Terminal of the aforementioned        mobile user has an IP (internet protocol) Connection        established, it reports its Visitor IP address to its        corresponding Virtual Register and Call Switch (VR/CS), as set        forth above, and the aforementioned Mobile Terminal can connect        with backbone Internet network and synchronize with its        corresponding Virtual Mobile Server (VMS), as set forth above,        through the aforementioned IP Connection, and    -   b) If the aforementioned Mobile Terminal does not have the        aforementioned IP Connection established, it connects to the        aforementioned VR/CS through specific Non-IP cellular mobile        link selected, optimized and managed by the aforementioned        VR/CS.

FIG. 4 introduces to utilize a computer server(s) either in the servercenter or data center, with Internet access, as a Virtual Mobile Serverfor the mobile terminal of the present invention, wherein the keydisclosures are:

The Virtual Mobile Server, basically a Computer Server, has a fixed HomeIP address or an assigned roaming IP address by the aforementioned HomeIP address, connecting to the wireline Internet through Fibre, CableModem, Ethernet or DSL (Digital Subscriber Loop), but not limitedthereto. This virtual mobile server becomes the mobile cloud server forone or multiple mobile terminals, as set forth above, which become themobile cloud clients.

The aforementioned Virtual Mobile Server(s) supporting group or many ofaforementioned mobile terminals can locate in the computer servers'center or in the network data center.

The Virtual Mobile Server, as set forth above, comprises an importantTerminal Processing Unit in operating the OWA Interface processing,Signal processing, Application processing and Networking processing forthe mobile terminal, as set forth above. The abovementioned VirtualMobile Server tries to handle the processing tasks for the mobileterminal, as set forth above, as much as possible when the IP connectionis established between them in order to simplify the systemimplementation and improve the system performance of the mobileterminal, as set forth above.

The aforementioned Terminal Processing Unit further operates thefollowing functions with the aforementioned mobile terminal: bandwidthoptimization and synchronization, signals synchronization, applicationssynchronization as well as network optimization and synchronization.

The aforementioned Terminal Processing Unit connects to theaforementioned mobile terminal through traditional IP connection,improved IP connection such as IPv6 or other Packet Division Multiplexed(PDM) network connection.

The Virtual Mobile Server, as set forth above, maintains a synchronizedand real-time copy of the aforementioned Connection Table from theaforementioned Virtual Register and Call Switch (VR/CS).

The Virtual Mobile Server, as set forth above, also synchronizes withthe aforementioned mobile terminal when the IP connection is establishedbetween them.

One Virtual Mobile Server, as set forth above, can support one ormultiple or group of mobile terminals of the present invention, whereinmany such mobile terminals can share the same Virtual Mobile Server, asset forth above.

The Virtual Mobile Server, as set forth above, supports such importantservices and applications as “Network Optimization”, “Mobile Secretary”,“Mobile Applications”, “Mobile Internet Optimization”, “Mobile InternetApplications”, “Voice/Video server”, “Short Message Service (SMS) andMultimedia Message Service (MMS) server”, “Game Center”, “Data Center”“SDM Center”, etc., but not limited thereto.

The aforementioned Mobile Applications unit and Data Centers areutilized to host mobile application platforms, on-line stores, on-lineservers, cloud servers, development suites, users data and applicationdata, but not limited thereto.

The aforementioned Mobile Internet Optimization module processes theimproved mobile Internet browsing, searching, networking, accelerating,computing and other applications for the aforementioned mobile terminaleither in the synchronized mode when the IP connection is available, orin the unsynchronized mode when the IP connection is not available.

The aforementioned Network Optimization module processes the cellularnetwork selection and network access optimization for each mobile userwherein the network access table is updated and synchronized with theaforementioned VR/CS real-timely.

The Virtual Mobile Server, as set forth above, also provides the mobileterminal of the present invention of Special Services Management such asLocation management, Emergency call management, Security and Safetymanagement, Sensor Networks and Systems management, ServicesOptimization, Digital spectrum management, and mobile cloud Operationand Maintenance management, etc., but not limited thereto.

The Virtual Mobile Server, as set forth above, can manage theaforementioned mobile terminal(s) to organize a sensor networks when theIP connection is available between the virtual mobile server and themobile terminal(s), as set forth above.

The Virtual Mobile Server, as set forth above, can manage or control oneor multiple aforementioned mobile terminal(s) connect to another orother multiple aforementioned mobile terminal(s) in an Ad-Hoc or Meshnetwork manner when the IP connection is available among them.

The mobile terminal, as set forth above, frequently reports its currentterminal IP address (or called Visitor IP address) to the aforementionedvirtual mobile server when the IP connection is established, and thisaforementioned terminal IP address is updated in the aforementionedvirtual mobile server when the aforementioned mobile terminal moves todifferent access point of wired network, wireless LAN, wireless PAN orwireless MAN (or called BWA) or some cellular mobile networks with IPconnection.

The synchronized IP or PDM link between the mobile terminal and thevirtual mobile server, as set forth above, include IP over WLAN, IP overWPAN, IP over BWA and IP over Cellular Mobile network, but not limitedthereto.

Lastly, any computer server or network server with Internet connectionand with an IP address can be configured to be an aforementioned VirtualMobile Server, associated with the mobile terminal(s) of the presentinvention.

The OWA Virtual Mobile Server as the Mobile Cloud Server of the presentinvention is not meant to be limited to the aforementioned systemarchitecture, and the subsequent specific description utilization andexplanation of certain characteristics previously recited as beingcharacteristics of this system architecture are not intended to belimited to such technologies.

The Mobile User Identifier (ID) can be mobile user's telephone number,mobile user's personal ID, mobile user's domain name or other defined IDinformation, but not limited thereto.

FIG. 5 is the transmission framework of the OWA Interface for the OWAmobile cloud infrastructure, wherein the aforementioned OWA Interfacecomprises:

-   -   1. OWA Baseband Signal Processing (SIG) Interface including OWA        SIG Header, OWA SIG Information Body and OWA SIG End    -   2. OWA Application Processing (APP) Interface including OWA APP        Header, OWA APP Information Body and OWA APP End    -   3. OWA Networking Processing (NET) Interface including OWA NET        Header, OWA NET Information Body and OWA NET End

The aforementioned OWA Interface is an open module to maximize thetransmission efficiency between the aforementioned mobile terminal andthe aforementioned virtual mobile server. The aforementioned OWAInterface can be minimized or reduced if any processing task (SIG, APPor NET, as set forth above) is not requested or not in use, in order tofurther increase the transmission efficiency and reduce the transmissionoverhead.

The aforementioned OWA Interface is the communication informationinterface between the aforementioned mobile terminal and theaforementioned virtual mobile server.

FIG. 6 describes the OWA Application Optimizer in the OWA mobileterminal system of the present invention.

To simplify the mobile terminal design and implementation, it isnecessary to move the processing tasks out of the mobile terminalsystem, and to the mobile cloud server which in the present inventioncalled virtual mobile server. Application processing including videoprocessing, multimedia processing, gaming processing, mobile Internetprocessing, but not limited thereto, consumes much processing power andsystem resources for the mobile terminal, and therefore degrades thesystem performance.

When a high-speed IP connection is established between theaforementioned mobile terminal and the aforementioned virtual mobileserver, the aforementioned OWA Application Optimizer moves the richapplications (large data, video, big file, web, multimedia, etc)processing tasks remotely to the aforementioned virtual mobile serverfor processing, then retrieve the processing results back to theaforementioned mobile terminal or save the results in the aforementionedvirtual mobile server.

When the high-speed IP connection is not available between theaforementioned mobile terminal and the aforementioned virtual mobileserver, the aforementioned OWA Application Optimizer limits theapplications to voice, message, text and short web service locally inthe aforementioned mobile terminal. In this case (low-speed IPconnection or no IP connection is available), the aforementioned OWAApplication Optimizer may request the aforementioned VR/CS or MobileGateway to reroute the incoming rich mobile call which consumes muchprocessing power and/or transmission bandwidth, such as video call, bigfile, large data, etc, to the aforementioned virtual mobile serverdirectly without proceeding to the aforementioned mobile terminal tosave system and transmission resources. Then, after the IP connectionwith enough bandwidth is established between the aforementioned mobileterminal and the aforementioned virtual mobile server, theaforementioned mobile terminal can retrieve the incoming calls from theaforementioned virtual mobile server.

The IP connection, as set forth above, refers to the connection to thewireline network, wireless LAN, wireless PAN, wireless MAN (BWA) or somecellular mobile networks, as set forth above, which is a broadbandhigh-speed connection to the Internet.

Since many modifications, variations and changes in detail can be madeto the described preferred embodiment of the invention, it is intendedthat all matters in the foregoing description and shown in theaccompanying drawings be interpreted as illustrative and not in alimiting sense. Thus, the scope of the invention should be determined bythe appended claims and their legal equivalents.

What is claimed:
 1. A method to shift mobile users over multiplewireless networks automatically through Virtual Register and Call Switch(VR/CS), said method comprising: a) registering mobile user in saidVR/CS for said multiple wireless networks by assigning unifieduser-centric Mobile User ID (identifier) for said mobile user, b)negotiating with said multiple wireless networks including multiplecellular mobile networks in wireless service areas, c) selecting thebest available wireless network based on network selection criteria formobile terminal of said mobile user from available said multiplewireless networks of WLANs (wireless local area networks), WMANs(wireless metropolitan area networks) or BWAs (broadband wireless accessnetworks) and said multiple cellular mobile networks, d) switchingbetween said multiple wireless networks for said mobile user withhorizontal handover or vertical handover, e) reporting current VisitorIP (Internet Protocol) address of said mobile terminal to said VR/CS, f)switching of various calls including voice, data, video and messages forsaid mobile user among said multiple wireless networks, g) optimizingwireless connection for said mobile user based on said network selectioncriteria with network access priority order, and updating said VisitorIP address of said mobile terminal to said VR/CS, and h) managinguser-centric service model of unified ONE device and ONE number for saidmobile user.
 2. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said networkselection criteria is used to access said multiple wireless networks,wherein for said WLAN and said BWA, Best-of-Efforts (BoE) based onsignal strength, network performance and transmission bandwidth areconsidered to select the right network and optimize the network access,and for said multiple cellular mobile networks, said mobile users caremuch more about said Best-of-Efforts, Simplicity of Use, NetworkConvergence, Inter-Networking QoS (quality of service), CostEffectiveness and Customer Service rather than just rates.
 3. The methodas recited in claim 1 wherein said network access priority order is saidWLAN, said BWA and said cellular mobile networks, from high to low. 4.The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said user-centric Mobile UserID managed in said VR/CS is a very user-friendly communicationidentifier, independent to said multiple wireless networks, and saidmobile user does not have to change said Mobile User ID across saidmultiple wireless networks of service-oriented network convergenceinfrastructure.
 5. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein saidhorizontal handover refers to the handover across said multiple wirelessnetworks of same RTT (radio transmission technology), and said verticalhandover refers to the handover across said multiple wireless networksof different RTTs.
 6. The method as recited in claim 5 wherein both saidhorizontal handover and said vertical handover require updating of saidVisitor IP address of said mobile terminal in said VR/CS.
 7. The methodas recited in claim 5 wherein both said horizontal handover and saidvertical handover require synchronizing of said mobile terminal withVirtual Mobile Server (VMS) for seamless service provision ofapplications, services and contents across said multiple wirelessnetworks.
 8. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said ONE devicerefers to same device for home network, office network and mobilenetwork of said multiple wireless networks, and ONE number refers tosame number for home network, office network and mobile network of saidmultiple wireless networks.
 9. The method as recited in claim 8 whereinsaid ONE number is an example of said Mobile User ID.
 10. The method asrecited in claim 1 wherein said Mobile User ID can be a telephone numberof said mobile user including said ONE number, personal ID of saidmobile user such as driver license number, domain name of said mobileuser such as willielu.com or other defined ID information such as e-mailaddress of said mobile user.
 11. The method as recited in claim 1wherein said Mobile User ID is a truly user-centric communicationregistration rather than the traditional carrier-centric closedtelephone number registration which enables truly user-preferable andtruly service-oriented PERSONAL Communication architecture for the openconvergence of said multiple wireless networks.
 12. The method asrecited in claim 1 wherein wireless access cost of said multiplewireless networks in such converged wireless infrastructure will becomplimentary or with low fee for most of said multiple wirelessnetworks, and hence the traditional carrier rate will not make any sensefor said mobile users.
 13. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein newbusiness model for said multiple wireless networks will be shifting fromtraditional carrier-centric to user-centric service deliveryarchitecture across said multiple wireless networks.
 14. The method asrecited in claim 1 wherein said multiple wireless networks include oneor multiple said WLANs, said BWAs and said cellular mobile networks, andalso include said multiple cellular mobile networks of same RTT bydifferent operators.
 15. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein saidmultiple cellular mobile networks can converge or merge into an unifiedcellular mobile network to optimize open mobile cloud infrastructure.16. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said mobile terminal canconnect to other said mobile terminals in an Ad-Hoc or Mesh networkmanner, synchronized by said VR/CS and said VMS.
 17. The method asrecited in claim 1 wherein said mobile terminal can seamlessly roamamong said WLAN, said BWA and said multiple cellular mobile networksswitched and synchronized by said VR/CS and said VMS.
 18. The method asrecited in claim 1 wherein by introducing said VR/CS, almost nothingneeds to be changed in the existing mobile or wireless networkinfrastructures, including any cellular mobile networks and otherwireless networks.
 19. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein saidWLAN includes IEEE802.11 network, said BWA includes IEEE802.16 networkand spectrum-spreading wireless network, and said cellular mobilenetwork includes TDMA (time division multiplex access), CDMA (codedivision multiplex access) and OFDM (orthogonal frequency divisionmultiplex) networks.
 20. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein saidmobile terminal supports multiple standards of said multiple cellularmobile networks wherein software defined module (SDM) is used to installor update said multiple standards and said SDM can be stored in flashmemory card, SIM (smart integrated memory) card, or downloadable fromthe Internet.